An organic gardener's paradise

In these gardens, you won't find any chemical pesticides, herbicides or fertilizers. But you will find a little technology. Each of the plots in our community gardens is hooked up to Daybreak's super-efficient drip irrigation system. So your squash, basil, marigolds and peppers get just the right amount of water with very little being lost to evaporation.

Then there's the composting area — a whole section of the garden set aside for the making of this indispensable ingredient of organic gardening. The composting area may not be very high-tech, but it sure is handy.

We've been fascinated by the ingenuity and artistry of Daybreak's community gardeners. Many of them use the “square foot gardening” approach. For those unfamiliar with the system, it divides a garden into one-foot squares, each of which is planted with a different variety of flower or vegetable. This increases yields, reduces the need for weeding and makes the garden look like a patch-work quilt.

Of course, the thing that grows best in a community garden is, well, the sense of community. The sharing of tips. The good-natured competition. The "I'll trade you some cucumbers for a bulb of garlic." It's a uniquely satisfying sort of neighborliness, which — like all things organic — needs no artificial colors, flavors or sweeteners.